Jr's Battle
by Reika Itsumi
Summary: When the Xeno group come back from Proto Omega, Jr. figures out his plan of confessing to MOMO and then leaving on his own to fight Albedo. It is offically a chapter story now! YAY! Now, Read and REVIEW! EPII spoilers
1. The Plan

Disclaimer: I don't own Xenosaga! Me no owny! I wish...

This is the shortest story I have ever written...maybe...I might make it into another one of those longer stories like Survive The Jungle and Live The Legend. I _might!_ I didn't say that I would. If I did, then I would probably wait until that other long story is done. Anyway, I hope you all like this short love story. My favorite pairing (Duh!) Jr. and MOMO. If you don't like it...then fine. Be that way! ...I'm joking! Anyway, REVIEW! Thank you. I'm thinking of doing my reviewers of honor hall thingy...I'll think about it.

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_"I have to go alone. If my friends come along…then they might be harmed. Damn that bastard Albedo…why does he have to be such a pain?"_ Jr. thought as he lay on his bed. They had just came from the long battle from Omega System. It was against the minister and his ancient relic, the Proto Omega. 

Jr. sighed as he sat up on the edge of his bed, letting his legs fall to the floor. _"Man, I have to act now before everyone gets caught up in this battle…this is my battle, and I'll fight it alone. I hope that if I do some sort of disappearing act that MOMO won't get worried…I just can't let her know."_ He got up and stretched out a little bit. He sighed again and began walking towards the door. The door opened automatically, leaving him to stare out. He hesitated for a few seconds, his mind wandering like a lost puppy.

"_What if…they find out? What will they think of me if they know that I left without them all? Would it be like last time? Would they all follow me anyway?" _He looked down at his right hand and saw the number that marked him as a URTV…#666. _"If only…I could…tell her before I go…"_ He finally stepped out side the door and went to the Elsa's bridge.

He walked through the hallways in a daze. He found himself remembering past times with them all. It comforted him for a little while, at least until he found a memory with Albedo.

(Flashback)

"_Remember what you did to us Rubedo? You crushed our mental link, and we were forced to succumb to U-DO."_

(End)

He though about it until he finally reached the bridge. Shion was talking to chaos near the co-pilots control board. Ziggy, Tony and Matthews were obviously talking about some political debates, while Hammer and Allen were talking about random things. Jr. noticed that MOMO was no where to be found.

"Hey guys! What's up?" He asked, joining Shion and chaos for a few moments.

"Hey Jr.! We haven't seen you for a few hours. Are you okay?" Shion asked concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I was in my room taking a nap." Suddenly, an idea hit him. "You guys don't mind if I go roam about for a while do ya?"

"No, just make sure to come back soon, okay?" Shion answered.

"Thanks. Wait, I got one more question, do you guys know where MOMO is?" He asked just before he left. Shion looked at chaos with a questioned look.

"She's probably somewhere in the foundation." chaos answered for Shion. Jr. nodded and then turned and left for the foundation.

When he arrived, he saw a few people boarding the train that led to the residential area of the Durandal. He looked over at the air shuttles that brought people to and from the foundation and then made his way to the shuttle that said '08' on the side.

"Why, hello Little Master. I haven't seen you since the abnormality of that giant ship that appeared." The greeter greeted as Jr. passed her to board the shuttle.

"Yeah, same to you too." He said flatly before the door folded up and lifted off. The greeter watched it make it's way up to the foundation.

"I wonder what's wrong with him. He's not his normal cheery self. That just makes it depressing around here…" She said as she gazed up at the ceiling. She sighed and went back to looking her normal, cheery self.

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Jr.'s shuttle finally landed and the door folded down, creating a staircase. He walked down it and through the sliding, blue-green gate and headed for the foundation's city. He reached sector 26 and looked in the Our Treasure Hotel to see if she was there. Fortunately, she was. She was talking to the little girl who didn't trust adults very much. 

"Hey MOMO." Jr. greeted, walking up to the front desk. She looked up and straight into Jr.'s vibrant blue eyes. She felt herself blush a little bit.

"Hi Jr.! Are you feeling okay? You haven't been around for a few hours, you were starting to worry me." She said motherly.

"I was only taking a nap. I'm fine." He said. "I was just wondering if you wanted to go to the beach. I have to tell you, today's probably the best day to do it, ever since we're going to track Albedo down starting tomorrow." He informed. MOMO tilted her head with a sweet and small smile.

"Sure! I'll come back tomorrow okay?" She said politely as she turned to the little girl.

"Okay!" She replied. MOMO walked around to where Jr. stood and they both left. The little girl giggled to herself.

"They are so cute together. Too bad they don't know if they like each other or not." She thought aloud. She then ran up the stairs to go and visit the picture of her deceased parents on the wall in the attic.

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The sun painted a glorious red and orange coloring across the horizon, reflecting it's setting beauty as the synthetic, yet warm feeling, light faded. The water was gleaming with white shines on the tip of every small wave and the sand grew colder as the day ended. 

Jr. and MOMO were sitting on the docks, watching as the sun placed a magnificent background. MOMO had her feet swaying back and forth over the edge of the dock while Jr. sat still. He was thinking about the past again, but was soon interrupted by MOMO.

"Are you sure you're feeling all right? You've been looking down today." MOMO questioned as she put her hand on his shoulder. He quickly snapped out of his daydream and looked up at her.

"Yeah, I swear, I'm fine. MOMO…I…have to let you know something that I've been hiding for a while. I might as well tell you now…before I leave." He got up and looked off into the horizon, feeling the warm and salty breeze blow by.

"What do you mean 'before you leave'? You know you can tell me anything. I promise to keep it a secret whatever it is! I promise!" She exclaimed softly as she stood up next to him. She saw that his expression was sorrowful, and yet it still had the light of happiness fluttering in it.

Jr. closed his eyes and took a heavy sigh. He looked down at the water as it calmly splashed against the supporting poles of the dock. A small smile appeared on his face.

"MOMO…" He slowly turned to her. He took her hands in his and helped her stand next him. MOMO felt herself blush at the gentle gesture.

"I…I love you, but I have business to take care of. I just…thought that I'd let you know…before I left." MOMO's jaw dropped. She felt herself tense and freeze up. She became speechless at Jr.'s confession.

" I…I love you too Jr." She also confessed. Jr.'s face turned red as he began to blush. Then the 'leaving' part of the whole conversation registered.

"Wait…where…do you have to go? Why do you have to go? I don't want you to go where ever it is you have to go!" MOMO said as she squeezed Jr.'s hands. He looked into her golden eyes that were now filling with tears.

"Why…?" She cried. Jr. felt guilt pile on his shoulders. Why did everything have to turn out like this?

"MOMO…I…can't really tell you where I'm going because…I don't want you to follow me. I have to do this alone. If you have faith in me, then I'll come back. I promise." MOMO looked up at him, still teary eyed. She sniffed and then fell onto his chest and began to cry again. Jr. didn't know what to do at first, but he eventually figured it out. He embraced her tightly, hoping to stop her tears.

"It's going to be all right MOMO. I promised, didn't I? I always keep my promises." MOMO slowly nodded while still shaking with tears. Jr. knew that he could only comfort her for the time being. Once they got back to the Durandal, he would let her fall asleep in her room and that would be the perfect time to leave…to leave and go to Albedo. He knew that he had to settle things with his brother and had to keep his friends alive.

"I-I don't want to lose you Jr.! Please! You can't go!" MOMO slowly worked her way out of Jr.'s embrace. Jr. was surprised when he saw MOMO have a sad yet determined look on her face. "I won't let you go alone!"

"But MOMO…I have to. Albedo's my brother and…" Jr. stopped as he realized that he was giving away what he was going to do. MOMO's eyes widened as she heard this.

"We all want to help too Jr.! Don't just…leave us behind."

"But MOMO…"

"NO! I don't want you to go!" MOMO began crying again, but this time she ran off. Jr. supposed she was going to go back to the Elsa, but now no one could stop him from doing what he was planning on doing in the first place. He would leave as soon as he got back to the Elsa.

As MOMO ran out of view, Jr. turned back to the sunset that had witnessed this change of fate. A small sparkle fell from his eyes, shining brightly in the orange color of the 'sun'. Jr. looked up as a strong breeze brushed by, revealing his own tears. He didn't want to leave MOMO, now that he confessed.

A sniffled and then collapsed onto the dock. He put his hands up to his eyes and cried like he never cried before. This was when he figured out that this had to have been the most troublesome times in his life.

He stayed at the docks until he had gotten over it. He stood up again and slowly made his way to the Elsa. When he got to the Elsa, he went straight to the hanger and looked up at his E.S.

"Well…I guess this is it." He said. His voice echoed through the room and then he boarded. He got to the launch and then took off to fight his brother.

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Like I said up at the top of this chapter...REVIEW! And you know what...I'm going to do that review honor thingy. I feel like it so review and I'll give you credit for reviewing.


	2. Arrival

Disclaimer: I don't own Xenosaga. Really...I don't...I wish...but no. A mere dream that lands so far away can never be reached! ...that didn't make any sense but that's what's good about me! I never make sense except for in my stories! So enjoy...and yes, I have decided that this will be more than just a one-shot. I was incredibly inspired to continue this last night, so I did. Thank the music people...not my brain. Have fun reading!

Ch. 2 - Arrival

MOMO watched silently as the E.S. Asher forced open the doors to the launch area. She clutched her chest with both hands as she tried to stop her tears. She looked down at the floor as it started to shake. This was it…he was really leaving. He might not even come back for all the little realian knew. She just hoped for the best and promised herself that she would wait for him to return, no matter how long it would be.

She looked back up out of the large open window and sighed. She didn't even get to say goodbye or wish him luck and tell him to come back. It was done and she couldn't do anything to bring him back, but she knew that. Jr. was just that type of person, always trying to take on everything on his own shoulders. If anyone tried to help him, he would only turn away and continue carrying burdens of not only himself, but of others he knew.

MOMO sighed and turned to face the long and empty halls. She heard the faint noise of the doors closing and relocking. Then all was silent, leaving her in a mind full of thoughts. She eventually put her arms down beside her and started to make her way to the Durandal once more. She didn't know what she was going to tell the others.

She finally reached the Durandal's bridge to see Shion, Mary, Shelley and the rest of the group with confused looks bestowed upon their faces.

"What does he think he's doing? He's going to get himself killed going alone like this!" Shion yelled like a worried mother. MOMO stayed silent in the background as she continued listening to comments from everyone as they panicked.

"MOMO…" MOMO turned around to see Ziggy standing next to her. She looked up at him and then looked away, trying not to make him concerned for her. "MOMO…He'll be all right. Just keep hoping for the best." MOMO was surprised at what the cyborg said. Her eyes widened as she looked up at him. Ziggy was now looking in the direction of the space time anomaly.

"Ziggy…He's…Jr.'s really…" She felt tears come to her eyes as she said his name. Eventually, she collapsed into the cyborg's arms, letting herself cry. Ziggy gladly accepted her into his arms and tried his best to comfort her.

"I guess…we'll have to keep waitin' until he comes back." Mary stated as she looked back sympathetically at the crying MOMO. She even gave off a few tears as well. "But…I know the Little Masta will make it back…" She turned back to the control boards, then turned to Shelley. Shelley stayed silent as she continued to analyze the situation and then sigh.

Shion also looked back at the realian, feeling as though she felt the same pain, but she knew it wasn't as nearly as hard. She looked around and noticed that chaos was no where in sight. _'I wonder…where chaos went?'_ She sighed and looked back at the pink webbing that seemed to be expanding and taking over space slowly and steadily.

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Jr. knew that he was heading towards his own fate. He knew that his move was reckless, but what choice did he have? If he didn't want anyone else involved, then he was going to have to do what he thought was right. Thoughts raced everywhere in the URTV's head, zooming every which way, making it hard to focus on just one.

He finally reached his destination and programmed the E.S. Asher's autopilot to go back to the Elsa. As soon as he jumped onto the fluffy, pink substance, his E.S. took off. He watched as it made it's way back to the ship he once knew. As soon as it was out of sight, Jr. looked toward his destination. Endless roads curved in tight knots and confusing intersections. Bright pink covered over the region of space, threatening to take it over just like a disease plaguing an animal.

Jr. took a few steps, trying to get used to the pillow feeling of U-DO under his feet. He took a deep breath and started walking down the never-ending path. He had only gone a few feet before an image of his brother appeared in front of him. No matter how young Albedo looked, Jr. knew that he was still the infected brother he knew to that very day.

"Well, well, well! Look who decided to come and pay his brother a visit. It's nice to see you again, Rubedo." The white haired URTV snickered as he watched Jr. cringe at his true name. He didn't like it when he was called Rubedo. Too many memories of the past were connected to it and he just wanted to leave it all behind, but Albedo wouldn't let that happen.

The younger vision of Albedo snickered and then sighed.

"It seems that your not even happy to see me anymore. Don't you remember me? I'm the one who reminds you of who you really are!" The high pitched voice of Albedo rang through the area as he laughed. "Ever since you aren't very fond of remembering past events, maybe I should help you remember!" Albedo began to laugh once more and soon disappeared in a tangled web of pink, his laughter still hanging around the air.

Jr. clenched his hands into tight fists of fury as he stared down the long path before him. He lightened up as his surrounding changed suddenly. It turned into someplace he recognized…the place where Albedo was infected by U-DO and where he almost lost Nigredo as well as his own life. He watched as the pentagonal shape appeared, the walls materialize and everything turn to life before his very own eyes. It was then that it all really came to life, as though he was reliving the event over again. Albedo, Nigredo and other URTV's encircled the middle as U-DO crept out from the middle.

Jr. slowly backed away as he saw the tower of U-DO form before his eyes. Just like it did 14 years ago, Albedo cried for help as he was slowly being dragged into U-DO. Jr.'s eyes widened in fear as he watched his brother swept away, along with many of his other brothers. He watched as Nigredo struggled to keep himself from being overcome by it.

"No! Nigredo!" The name rolled right out of his mouth as though it came naturally. His instincts took over as he ran to his brother's side. He reached for his arm to help him, but he passed through the image before him. His eyes filled with tears as he watched Nigredo getting pulled in, just like Albedo. "Nooooo!" His voice rang out as he closed his eyes tightly. He went to open them again and the scene was different. His heart was beating wildly and felt like it would jump out of his chest. His breathing became heavier as he slowly examined his surroundings cautiously. He now found himself in a quite room with a small window on the opposite side of where he stood. A bed with a purple and white checkered pattern comforter sat to his right and a small dresser sat to his left. "This is…"

"That's right Rubedo! I'm glad you remembered this pitiful place." Albedo's voice echoed. Jr. frantically looked around trying to find his twin. While he was busy looking around for his brother, another entity materialized in the same room. Feeling the presence, he turned around to see a brown haired girl with a white dress and emerald green eyes. She seemed to be in a trance.

"S…Sakura!" The girl didn't respond, but only took a few steps toward him. Jr. gulped as he watched her walk almost zombie like. She was only a few feet away from him when she started whispering words that were just under hearing range. Jr. watched her lips, trying to figure out what she was saying. He never was good at lip reading, but he tried his hardest.

"So Rubedo, do you like her? She's my newest puppet!" Albedo's voice echoed once more. Jr. gasped as the Sakura he was staring at disappeared and instead a Kirshwasser stood in front of him, whispering words that he still couldn't understand. Jr. was infuriated and clenched his fists once more. He watched as the Kirshwasser also disappeared and soon, young Albedo was there. "Am I getting on your nerves? I'm sorry; I thought I was just doing my fellow brother a favor!" He broke out into his infamous laugh.

"Shut up Albedo!"

"Oh, but taunting you is fun! Aren't you having any fun yet? Because I'm having tons!" Albedo began laughing again before fading again. Suddenly and unknown force came from behind Jr. and wrapped around his neck. He put his hands up to where he would at least get enough room to breathe. When he pulled the force, he noticed that it was a soft touch, a touch only belonging to one person.

"Sakura…!" He managed to choke out. The dazed girl behind him was none other than Sakura. He was being strangled by the one he loved in his past days, manipulated by his brother and being tortured with disturbing images of the past. It all finally pushed him to his limits. Everything stopped as if put on pause. Jr. felt all his fear, anger, and hate come in a furious blast of energy. It happened…his Red Dragon mode was triggered and his surroundings blew into a fiery rage. Sakura was blown back and then vanished. Jr. kneeled on the ground, trying his best to suppress his anti-UDO shift, his whole body shaking in rage as he held himself. After what seemed like forever, his Red Dragon mode began to disappear, leaving him exhausted. He watched as the floor below him disappeared and turned into the fluffy pink U-DO. This wasn't over yet…he had more to go through, he knew he did. This wasn't even the start…

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The group knew that they could only wait and hope Jr. would come back. MOMO had calmed down a little bit, though she was still sniffling. Ziggy stayed by her side to give her comfort if she started bursting out into tears again. Shion was standing next to KOS-MOS, staying silent for lack of conversation. chaos still wasn't found, Jin also stayed quite like his sister and Mary was biting her fingernails for lack of a more amusing thing to do. Shelley sat at the control board, clicking away as she tried to figure out what was happening.

"I…I'm going to walk around for a little while. Maybe…visit the park." MOMO informed as she walked from Ziggy's side to the Durandal's elevator. Everyone turned to her and watched her depart.

"…I hope she'll be all right…" Shion said after the realian disappeared. Mary nodded in agreement.

"It's all the Little Mastah's fault for making us all worry like this…especially her…" Mary referred to MOMO and then sighed. She looked back out to the space being swallowed by U-DO. Her eyes widened and smile crept across her face as she saw something flying towards them in the distance. "Look! He came back after all!" Mary pointed out. "Shelley, try to make contact with him!"

Shelley nodded, but when she tried to get through nothing happened. "I'll try putting a picture transmission." She typed a few things in the keyboard and the picture of the cockpit of the E.S. was empty. Everyone had confused looks on their faces once the picture showed up.

"He must've put it on auto pilot and flew it back here." Ziggy alleged. _'What does he think he's doing? He's only getting himself stranded out there…'_ Ziggy thought as the E.S. Asher flew by the Durandal.

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chaos watched the E.S. Asher dock in the Elsa before going into the launching area himself. The machine locked into position and then docked successfully. The silver haired boy watched as the cockpit opened. He jumped in and then prepared to launch as well.

"Don't worry Jr. I'll be there on time…"

III II I III II I III II I III II I III II I III II I III II I III II I III II I III II I III II I III II I III II I III II I III II I III II I III II I III II I III II I III II I III II I

Yup! I have decided that I am going to make this story into a multi-chapter adventure! I liked tha way this chapter turned out. Yes, it's kind of like the ending, but I altered it...a lot. So now I have to tell people that there is a spoiler warning for Episode II. Maybe it's not too much like it, but maybe it is. In some ways. Yeah, so I'm going to go type up some more of this. -Jr. The Red Dragon-


	3. More Than a Memory

**I DON'T OWN XENOSAGA OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS!**

**Okay, now that that's done with. I must say, this chapter is a little bit shorter than the others...but it is 2 in the morning. Oh well, hope you like it! I worked hard! ...I think...anyway, get reading!**

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Ch. 3

MOMO arrived at the Durandal's park area. She walked over to a near-by bench and sat down, putting her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands. She sighed heavily as the thoughts of Jr. flooded her mind. Everything that he had done for her meant so much and now she wouldn't be able to add to those memories if he didn't come back. The memory that stuck out the most was when he had brought her to the docks in the Foundation. Those words that he had said to her repeated in her head along with the orange tinted background. It was such a beautiful sunset and just to think…it was only a few hours ago. A few hours ago when he told her that he loved her, but to her it seemed like forever ago. MOMO couldn't help but think about what she would do if Jr. didn't come back. What would her life be like with out him protecting her? Of course, Ziggy was there to do that too, but it just wouldn't be the same without both of them.

MOMO was torn from her thoughts when she felt something tap her shoulder. She looked up into the golden eyes of a teal haired girl. She resembled MOMO a little bit, despite difference in hair color. She had the same sensors as MOMO did.

"Are you all right? You look worried." The 100-series observational realian asked concerned. MOMO forced a smile on her face and nodded.

"I'm fine, really. I'll be okay." MOMO watched as the teal haired girl tilted her head. "You…don't believe me do you?" She continued. The teal haired realian hesitated for a few seconds and then shook her head.

"I'm sorry. I'm being nosey…"

"No…it's okay. You're an observational realian, so I wouldn't expect much less of you." MOMO smiled again and giggled. "So, have you learned anything new lately?" MOMO asked. The girl nodded and sat down next to her.

"Yes. I have learned that you should always put your full trust in someone, no matter how threatening the situation is. Like now…the Little Master goes off without any help. It worries me, but I think that he'll come back. Mary taught it to me. The way she always worries about the Little Master and how much faith she has in him…it almost seems like she should be his mother. It's very nice of her to worry like this, but she also told me herself that the Little Master is strong, no matter what his appearance. So, I'm going to do what Mary is doing. I'm going to put trust in the Little Master, but also worry for his safety as well." MOMO's eyes widened as the little realian sitting in front of her told her everything that she learned from Mary. Not only did she learn to worry, but she also learned how to put faith in people she knew. MOMO thought about it for a while and figured out that her recent thoughts weren't very faithful. She sighed, causing the 100-series to look at her with her new expression of worry.

"Are you sure your okay?" She asked persistently. MOMO hesitated and then nodded.

"Yes, I am. You've reminded me to keep faith in Jr. Like you said, his actions may be risky…but having faith in him should give him even more luck in coming back." MOMO looked down at her wrist, which had the charm bracelet Jr. had given to her. She smiled warmly and then looked up at the 100-series. "Thank you."

"Why…are you thanking me?"

"Because you helped restore faith in me. I was all ready beginning to lose hope until you told me what you learned. I…learned something from you too." A long silence occupied the air as the two looked at each other.

"I…have learned yet another thing..." MOMO waited to hear what her new-found friend had learned. "I…have learned, that I too can give knowledge to the ones I am close to…I can spread what I have learned on to my sisters and maybe even other people. Now I must be thankful to you because you were the one who taught me this lesson." MOMO smiled brightly, happy that she could lend a hand.

"Your welcome. I'm happy that I could help." MOMO chirped. The teal haired realian got up and then left after saying good bye.

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Jr. stood up, still exhausted from his Red Dragon mode incident. He lifted his head up to stare down the path that he had barely begun to travel. Though it seemed far away, he could see a small, purple glow at the end of the path. He increasingly paced himself towards it, waiting for another one of his tricky brother's traps.

_'Man! I can't believe I let him get to me like that! I have to be more careful about all of this…I can't afford to have my Red Dragon mode come out like that again…but with him that's nearly impossible…but I have to do this! For everyone back at the Durandal…especially for MOMO. I'm sure she's pretty worried right now…heck, everyone is probably worried. This is…something I have to do though. This is…my problem and I am the one who has to take care of it.'_ He thought as he stumbled down the path. He soon arrived at the mysterious portal. He cautiously approached it and soon vanished.

He reappeared on a different part of the path. He knew it had gotten him a little bit closer to the core of the whole thing by the way the knotted roads that kept growing closer and closer together. Jr. took a few steps forward, hoping his brother wouldn't show up for a little while. Within the next ten estimated steps, Young Albedo materialized again. The red head stopped and scowled as his brother as he became clearer. _'Dammit…not again…'_

"Did you enjoy your first memory? Don't think that's the only one because I've got many more in my plans." The URTV began laughing as usual before disappearing. Jr. watched cautiously as the environment changed again. He looked around at the field that had materialized before him, wondering which memory this was part of. He immediately remembered as a standard, blonde URTV walked out in front of him and turned to him.

"Hey Rubedo." Jr.'s eyes grew wide as he recognized who it was. It was one of his best friends, Unit 623. He and Rubedo always used to hang out together, despite his brother Albedo's insults, unit 623 still hung around the red head. "Your brother seems to have a grudge against me or something. I don't know what I did…but tell him I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to do what ever it is I did to make him mad at me. I hope one day we can be friends too." The sky suddenly turned a dark grey with huge threatening clouds…just like the day before Jr. had received news that unit 623 was beaten. "Looks like rain…I'll see you back at the facility!" The blonde haired URTV ran off. Jr. watched and then the scene changed once again.

When the scene came into focus, it had been put on pause. Jr's eyes widened as he saw unit 623 in a hospital like room. Nothing moved…everything was silent before Young Albedo popped up once again.

"Remember? I tried to save you from him. He was only going to cause you trouble in the end." The URTV smiled when he saw Jr. quickly turn to him. He immediately took out his pistols and aimed them at Albedo.

"Stop your stupid mind games Albedo!"

"Who said I was playing games? I remember telling you that I was refreshing your memory. Am I not doing that?" There was a small slide of silence before he materialized and disappeared in thin air. "Hurry up and find me. Then you can help ME for a change." The last words echoed through the whole room.

A few moments later, the regular U-DO path was visible again and Jr. found himself staring at the path he had begun to travel down. He didn't understand what Albedo meant when he said that he could help him for a change. The same words repeated over and over as he tried to translate it from the riddle it was in. Jr. walked forward, his movement slightly quicker than the last time. He knew that once he passed through the next warp that he would probably be in another memory. When he reached the end of the path, he immediately dissipated and warped to the next level.

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**Well, I hope you guys liked it. I am tired...so i'm going to sleep. I promise that I will try to update sooner...if school doesn't get in the way. until next time my friendly Xenosaga fans! -Jr. The Red Dragon-**


	4. Nephalium Chrystalis

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN XENOSAGA! **

**Author notes: Well, I have finally found some time to update this story. I worked really hard on it...I mean, the whole story. I even used...(dun dun duuuuunn!) A thesaurus! I feel like I'm getting a little bit better...key word, a LITTLE bit. Anyway, read on my fellow readers, read on!

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**CH. 4**

MOMO had finally left the park after her conversation with the 100-series. She was now heading back to the Elsa on the transporter. As she sat in the train, she thought about Jr. once again, hoping that he was all right. She sighed and got off at her stop. She made her way to the Elsa and went to her quarters.

"Please…come back. We still…have so much to do together…" MOMO said quietly as she sat down on her bed and eventually lie down and fell asleep.

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Shion and everyone on the Durandal's Bridge were alarmed when the E.S. Asher took off once again into the anomaly in front of them. Mary and Shelley tried to make contact with whoever was piloting the craft before it went out of communication's reach. It was all ready too late as the E.S. vanished into the pink, webby substance. 

"Sorry Shion, we couldn't get through to whoever it was." Mary apologized as she turned to her friend with an unpleased face. Shion didn't respond immediately.

"No…it's okay. I think I know who was piloting." Mary and Shelley turned to her in surprise. Shion only smiled at the sister's twin expression of confusion and shock. "I'm going to go to the Elsa for a little while, so just give me a call if anything important happens. Okay?" Mary and Shelley nodded. Shion turned and walked onto the elevator and went down to the Elsa. After she disappeared to the lower floor, Mary, Shelley and everyone else there stared back out the window, hoping to find any sign of hope.

* * *

Chaos had finally arrived at the huge mass of U-DO and waited for his cue. Once Nephilim appeared, he knew it was time to go in and 'rescue' Jr. He sighed as the E.S. landed on a patch of the fluffy webbing. 

"I guess…I have a little while to think about things." He said as he leaned back in his seat a little bit.

* * *

Being emotionally tortured was definitely a tiring process. Jr. didn't know if he could go any further in his journey, but he knew no matter what happened, he had to protect everyone who was back on the Durandal…especially MOMO. Just the thought of the little realian gave him more courage than what had all ready been taken away by his past. He would just have to think of her and he would be fine…right? 

He stood on the path and saw yet another warp hole at the end. He sighed before pacing himself into a regular walking pace.

'I just…have to make it to the end of this path. Let's hope Albedo's not here too…Shoot! I just jinxed myself…I'll be al right. I can handle anything!' Jr. thought as he continued. Amazingly, Albedo hadn't appeared as soon as he would've. Unfortunately, he did appear…right before Jr. could reach the portal.

"Don't think just because this is the last portal until you get to the real me that you can get through so easily. I still have one more thing to show you." Young Albedo smiled. Jr. scowled as the scene began to turn.

"Ah! This is…"

"So you remember then? This did only happen a year and a half ago." The room was dark and dingy. The walls were a dark grey as if they had once belonged to a dungeon and in the middle of the room was a chair that looked like a prisoner would've been held captive before being killed for a ritual.

"…This is the Song of Nephilim…where…he took MOMO's consciousness." Jr. could see Albedo sitting in that chair, basically sucking the life out of MOMO searching for the Y-Data. The picture was faint and the laugh could be heard echoing through the room along with the painful cries. He backed up and took out his guns out of reaction to the whole situation.

'Dammit! I can't let it get to me…I know she's safe!' Jr. thought as he tried to control his emotions. 'Oh, but is she really safe?' Albedo's voice rang through his head. Jr. shook his head, hoping that Albedo's voice would stop the laughing that had begun.

"Stop it!" Jr. yelled out of rage. "Get out of my head!" He demanded. Jr. let his guns drop to the floor so that he could put his hands on his head. He knelt down on the floor next to his fallen pistols.

'Yes! That's it Rubedo, become what you really are inside!' Albedo continued, hoping to release the seal of the power of the Red Dragon. Jr. wasn't about to give in so easily, but he was on the edge.

'I have to overcome it…I…have to ….' Jr. thought as he ignored the mocking laugh inside of his head. After a few minutes of dealing with his other half, Albedo decided to leave.

'Hurry up and find me. That way you can kill me and give me what I want.' Jr. looked up and saw the path of U-DO once more. He was panting out fear and rage, but managed to pick up his guns and stand up. Giving everything that he had, he ran into the last warp hole and warped to the final stage…where his other half was waiting in the presence of U-DO.

* * *

Chaos was interrupted from his thoughts when a small girl with bright orange hair appeared by the cockpit of the E.S. Asher. Chaos only smiled as the girl eventually materialized completely. She looked over at him and sighed. She disappeared and then reappeared in the cockpit with chaos. 

"Is it all ready time Nephilim?" chaos asked the young girl. As she sat in the seat below him she shook her head.

"Not yet, but the time is coming. Be prepared…because this is only the beginning of things." Chaos merely responded with a nod that was not visible to Nephilim. He sighed and looked back out at the twisting paths. The plan the he and Nephilim had formed together was about to become a reality. Inside, chaos felt terrible for using Jr. like this, but what other choice did he have? Everything happened and gave him and Nephilim the opportunity to damage U-DO by having Jr. kill his other half. Albedo had been infected with the virus anyway, so it was a perfect opportunity. Yet, chaos still had his doubts about how this plan was going to turn out, knowing that one of his best friends was going to have to sacrifice his own brother, but it was for a good cause. Saving the universe was top priority right now and to do that Jr. had to be successful in his role. Taking one life was better than taking everyone's lives.

"Nephilim…How sure are you that this is going to work out?" chaos asked after the brief moment of silence.

Nephilim sighed. "I'm not sure, but there is something that keeps telling me that it'll all work out according to plans." She also felt the same way that chaos did. Of course, being related to the silver haired boy was part of it. Both being of the angelic race, they had a special connection that connected them in mind and spirit. They always thought the same way, whether it was coincidence or not.

Chaos sighed heavily and continued to stare out of the window that gave everything a tiny tint of blue. He closed his eyes as both he and Nephilim waited for this all to end and bring forth the beginning of their plan. The plan that they called Nephalium Chrystalis.

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**So? Whatcha think about that chapter? Tell me in reviews guys otherwise I won't continue...and that would be just plain evil. So please REVIEW!**


	5. Mischevious Mary to the Rescue

**Well, here it is. This is the chapter that'll cheer you up a bit. Yup, be prepared to laugh...at least a little bit. I mean, come on! It's a game of charades! Isn't that funny? I hope so...lol. See? I'm even laughing! (Of course I only laughed cause I'm really dumb...eh heh.) Oh, and I don't own Xenosaga.

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Ch. 5

It had been at least two hours that the Elsa and Durandal crew had been waiting for Jr.'s arrival. Everyone, being bored out of their minds, decided to play a game of charades; Shion being the one to suggest it so that time would go faster. Even though they were missing five people, (MOMO, Jr., Ziggy, Jin and chaos) they still proceeded to the still-quite-popular game. Not only did it help time pass, but it also lightened the mood for a little while.

"A…a…A DUCK!" Mary shouted as she pointed at Shion. She shook her head rejecting Mary's answer. She looked over to Shelley, who was currently analyzing her strange behavior that had no connection to a duck. Shelley finally had an idea of what Shion was trying to act out.

"Are you a person worshipping the Zohar?" Shelley asked in her monotone voice. Shion stopped and nodded.

"Yup. You got it Shelley, now it's your turn!" Shion said wistfully as she walked to her seat. Shelley looked at her and sighed. Nothing happened…for the next five minutes. Eventually Mary volunteered to go up and give it a shot herself. After she arrived on the 'stage' where everyone was encircled, she thought about what she was going to do. She looked around the bridge to see if anything would give her an idea. Her eyes locked onto Ziggy, who was standing in the corner talking to Jin. Mary gave an evil and mischievous smile and attempted to imitate her target. She watched closely as Ziggy began speaking and moving his mechanical arm while explaining something to Jin. She began to lip nonsense and move her arm around just like he was. Everyone participating had odd looks on their faces as they watched Mary's impression of Ziggy.

"Um…are you…a person talking?" Shion guessed. Mary 'hmm'ed and then shook her head. She watched as Ziggy stopped talking and gesturing with his hand. He then scratched the back of his head as Jin continued his own small section of talking. Mary also scratched the back of her head. Allen, oddly noticing how much like Ziggy she was acting, looked over to where she was looking. His assumptions were correct. He turned back to Mary and smiled. Mary, still investigating Ziggy's movements, was caught off guard when Ziggy caught her acting like him. Jin also looked over to the group and gave a small laugh. Mary became as stiff as a statue when Ziggy gave a scowl.

"You're Ziggy! Aren't you?" Allen shouted out. Mary slightly ignored him as she watched Ziggy pull something of a sling shot out of nowhere. She gave a nervous smile and found her chance of escape after actually processing Allen's voice, even though she didn't know exactly what he said. Ziggy aimed a random rock that Jin handed him at Mary's head. **(Author: Jin was completely innocent because he didn't really know what Ziggy wanted with the rock…oh and the rock had a Chinese symbol on it that translated into 'Peace'.)**

"Um…yeah, sure. You're turn Allen!" She shouted out nervously. Ziggy, unfortunately, let the rock go just as Allen walked to the 'stage', his legs shaking with shyness. He began sweating…but was then knocked unconscious by a flying object that he didn't see. It hit him in the side of the head and he tumbled to the side, landing in Shion's arms, causing her to fall backwards due to his dead weight. Ziggy simply shrugged as he turned to continue his conversation with Jin. Meanwhile, Mary was rocking back and forth with her hands behind her back in innocence as her sister gave her a glare clearly stating that Mary was guilty. Mary eventually noticed her sister's glare and hesitated before taking a step back.

"Why are you starin' at me like that Shelley!" She asked nervously, her western accent clear. Shelley turned away and put her hand on her face and sighed. She then made her way to see if Allen would live, considering he was very sensitive. Mary sighed a relief sigh and then also went to investigate the scene that had been caused by her. Shion was on the ground holding an unconscious Allen in her lap. She had positioned him to where she could use her medica spell to heal him. The right side of his head was bleeding and he was swirly-eyed as he laid there. If he had been conscious…he would've just fainted anyway considering it was Shion's lap he was laying in. Maybe it was a good thing that he was unconscious…

Shion had finally gotten the wound to stop bleeding and carried Allen to his quarters in the Elsa. Shelley offered to help, but Shion said that she could take care of it no matter how long of a trip it was…considering it wasn't very long anyway. Shion finally disappeared on the elevator leaving KOS-MOS, Mary, Shelley, Ziggy and Jin in the bridge. Once again, boredom struck. Mary, thinking about the last situation, thought it was quite funny to start pulling pranks on people. Her next target…was her dear sister Shelley. Not only was Shelley her older sibling, but she was always so serious. Mary began to think of what she could do to make a fool of her sister. Suddenly, a great idea hit her. She knew that they both had the same feelings for Master Gaignun…so what if he died? She laughed a low and evil laugh and walked up to the purple haired woman.

"Um…Shelley?" The blonde said innocently. Her sister turned to her, giving her a what-now look. "I…shoulda probably told you this sooner…but I couldn't find the right time to tell ya." Shelley suddenly became more interested in the subject her sister was about to start up and turned to her. Mary stayed silent, waiting for her sister to impatiently respond…but they stood there for a while, a huge block of silence hovering over their paused conversation. Mary, not Shelley, was now getting impatient herself. After about a ten minute silent time, Shelley finally gave in to curiosity.

"What?" She said simply. Mary looked down at her feet, trying to hide a smile that crept across her face. She eventually turned it into a frown and made herself cry, something she was always good at so that she could get whatever she wanted when she wanted it. She then lifted her now 'tear' stained face to Shelley and sniffled. Before explaining what she wanted to she gave her sister a big hug. Shelley had a confused expression as she listened to Mary sniffle and whine.

"It's…it's about…Masta Gaignun…He's…" Mary faked. Behind her sister's back she was getting ready to laugh her head off. This was just too perfect! Shelley should respond with…

"Master Gaignun…what's wrong?" Shelley questioned being fooled, falling into Mary's plans perfectly.

"He's…he's…"

"He's…?"

"He's gone!" Mary shrieked, making Shelley flinch as her 'sobs' screeched in her ears. Shelley sighed and then hugged her sister.

"Don't worry, he'll be back." Mary heard this and then pulled away from her sister and blinked. Then she continued with her act.

"No! I don't mean it like that! Masta Gaignun's dead!" Shelley gave her a concerned look. Mary hugged her once again, letting her laughter act like sobbing. Shelley didn't react, for she was too stunned by the news. She felt tears come to her eyes as Mary continued to speak. "He's dead Shelley! He's…" She didn't finish her sentence when she felt her sister collapse beneath her. She fell over Shelley rolling and hitting the council to the Durandal, causing a self-destruct count down to begin. Mary's eyes widened as she immediately began working on shutting the system down. Ziggy, Jin and KOS-MOS all reacted, getting into their battle stances.

Shion was just about to exit the Elsa when she heard sirens and alarms going off just outside the door. She gasped and quickly ran through the door to reach the bridge where her friends were, abandoning Allen in his room. '_Oh no! I hope no one was hurt! I bet it's gnosis again!' _She thought as she rushed to the Durandal's bridge.

Shion arrived at the bridge and saw Mary panicking and the hologram of a clock counting down…from 10 seconds? Shion ran up next to Mary attempting to ask what was happening.

"What's going on?" Shion yelled above all of the sirens and alarms.

"I accidentally hit the self-destruct button and I forgot the password!" Mary yelled back, sweating profusely. Shelley was just sitting in the middle of the path, crying at the fake news of Gaignun dieing. She continued to think to herself that he wasn't really dead…but Mary seemed very serious. No matter, if he really was gone then she would just die in the explosion of the Durandal anyway ever since she heard that her sister forgot the password. 5 seconds left…death was so close when suddenly…

"What's going on? Have gnosis started to attack?" A tall, slender black haired man said as the elevator rose steadily. Shelley watched as she saw Gaignun running towards her to help out with whatever situation was activated. Mary looked back worriedly and shook her head.

"I'll explain later! What's the password to shut down the self-destruct system before it's too late!" Mary demanded.

"Fluffy bunny!" Gaignun replied. Mary hurriedly typed it in and everything calmed down. Just realizing what she typed in she gave an odd look to Gaignun.

"Fluffy…bunny?" Mary said unenthusiastically. Shion smiled and put her hand to her mouth, trying to stifle a howl of laughter. Shelley sat there in the same place, astounded to see her Master there alive, standing in front of her. She blinked a few times and then looked back at Mary with an angered glare. Mary looked down at Shelley feeling her piercing glare. She gulped and then prepared herself for the worst. Shelley gritted her teeth and let her long purple bangs hide her disgusted look. She was fed up with Mary at this point and time and was about to tear her limb from limb. She didn't think that Mary could be so heartless as to lie to her about something so important!

Seeing Shelley's reaction to an unknown cause, Gaignun slowly backed up as he felt a dangerous amount of tension between Shelley and her sister. He got to a safe distance, which was next to Jin and Ziggy, who were also standing by. Even Gaignun knew that Shelley has a bad temper if she was pushed to the limits…even though he never seen her like this before. He was warned by the people that she worked for before she worked for him.

"Uh-oh…" Mary said as she backed up. She looked for cover and gladly found Shion to hide behind. Shion, bewildered and confused, stood there with Mary crouching down behind her out of fear of the enraged Shelley. She eventually edged her way from Mary and ran to stand with Gaignun and the others.

"Mary…"

"…"

"Mary…What did you do?" Gaignun asked as he stood back, away from the scene.

"Umm…I …told her you were dead?" Mary replied. Suddenly Shelley quickly stood up and turned to her trembling sister.

"MARY! YOU B! YOU LIED TO ME AND MADE ME WORRIED OVER NOTHING!" Shelley screamed as she jumped her scared to death sister. She slammed her on the ground and slapped her as hard as she could and threw in a few punches. Mary, totally defenseless, tried to squirm out of her predicament and run off towards the others, but Shelley pinned her to the ground. She was now face to face with Mary. "I swear, I will tear you into pieces if you ever do this again…EVER. And I mean it." Mary only nodded and sweat dropped, fearing for her life. Shelley sighed and stood up, dusting her purple dress off. Mary ran to where Gaignun and the others were and hid behind them.

"Now I know…not to get on her nerves." Gaignun remarked as he sighed and turned to leave. He boarded the elevator and disappeared. Shion, Ziggy and Jin stood there bewildered at the sudden outrage of Shelley.

"And we thought Jr. had a bad temper." Jin replied, looking over at Ziggy. Ziggy looked back at him and shook his head.

"Jr. still wins that competition."

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So...How did you like it? I had to add some comedy cause I was in the mood for it. Yup yup, I was. Next chapter...The Hall of Mirrors. Hope to get some reviews from you peoples!

**Oh! MAY I HAVE YOUR ATTENION: I have a dilema. I need some opinion's on wether or not I should change my pen name to "Jr.'s Evil Angel". Please review and tell me what you think! I won't change it unless I get some votes...or if I get a lot of people saying not to. So please, please help me solve this dilema! Thank you all for your support, even if you don't review!**


	6. Hall of Mirrors

**Yep, we are now entering back into the horrific reality! YES! And I have finally decided about what I am going to do with my name...you'll find the results after you read this chapter. It'll be posted in Ch. 7 so keep waiting and you can make a difference by reviewing and telling me what I should do.

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Ch. 6 - The Hall of Mirrors

Jr. was now walking through a long hall…with mirrors. He was now utterly confused as to why there was a hall full of mirrors. Maybe, just maybe it was another one of his brother's tricks. He walked down the hall nonetheless, but when he got to a certain point it had become a dead end. At the end of the hall way was a mirror two times the size of the other mirrors that lined the hall. Jr. looked at himself and grinned. He made a gesture, grabbing the collar of his coat and made a cool stance. He took joy in seeing himself in this cool manner. He moved to make another pose, but was interrupted by the image of the mirror turning into Albedo. Jr. stopped smiling and instead gave a scowl.

"Now, now Rubedo. Don't take out your rage on this harmless mirror. Save it for me…when you figure out how to get out of this hall. I'll be waiting your arrival Rubedo." Albedo's image disappeared and the image of a stunned Jr. was seen. Seeing his face like this was definitely a different sight. 'Just look for the right mirror Rubedo. Then you will find me…' Albedo's voice echoed. Jr. looked behind him and the hallway extended even longer.

"Damn…that's really unfair. Bastard…" Jr. cursed. He sighed and walked down the hall, looking into every mirror. But to his surprise, it wasn't his reflection that he saw…it was every standard URTV created. 1-669…literally, every unit was shown. He watched as they watched him walk down the hall. He didn't like being watched…he felt like he was an outsider, ready to be executed. Most of them looked alike, besides they eye colors of some. Otherwise, they all were the same…the same blonde hair, the same body stature…the same people.

The further he went, the harder it was. Jr. felt the glares that pierced through him as he walked down the hall that had now seemed to turn into a walk of shame for him. All of the eyes that were locked on him intimidated him. Not only was that enough, but now a few of them started to whisper, making him feel even more ashamed. What he was…why he was that way…it didn't make any sense any more. He finally made it to a segment of the female URTV units. They all glared at him and gave him scowls as though they wanted to kill him. Jr. looked down at the ground, trying to avoid all eye contact that was available. After a few minutes of looking at the carpet placed neatly in the middle of the hall he looked back up and saw the prying eyes of his comrades.

His nerves taking over, Jr. began to walk faster, increasing his pace steadily until he had broken out into a run. His eyes wandered to the vicious glares of the girl and boy URTV's as they turned their heads to watch him run down the hall. Jr. could feel his heart begin to race and the sweat begin to bead. He was now running as fast as he could, hoping to get away from glares that intimidated him and made him feel like he was being stalked by a murderer. His body began to tense up and his eyes began to widen in fear. His breathing had sped up tremendously and fear engulfed his spirit.

The tension too much, Jr. closed his eyes and ran forward, knowing that it was the only way he could go. He felt a little better, but could still feel the evil glances of hatred coming from both walls of the brilliantly decorated hall. Just images or not, they still bothered the red head. After a few minutes of running blindly, he opened his eyes again. Feeling the effects of fatigue through his body, he slowed his running into a fast walk. He was now to the point of panting and gasping for air, but he still continued no matter what. He kept telling himself that he wouldn't give up…hoping it would give him more strength and courage to go on.

Jr. began to look closer and noticed that he was getting to the end of the line. Unit 631 was the one he saw when he looked at the mirrors. '_Are these really mirrors? Maybe they are illusions…or…or maybe…they really are real…no they can't be. They were infected by U-DO 14 years ago…'_ He thought frantically as he continued to walk as he could. _'633…636…640…I can't believe that they are all here…everyone of my comrades…'_ he continued. He watched as he scanned over the numbers on each unit's hand. His journey was halted when those hands all went up as if they were forming the link once again. He looked behind him down the long hall, watching as a railing was formed. The blue light flew passed Jr. and reached the end of the hallway. The bright blue light, which slightly resembled the water of the ocean shining in the sun, made the red room tinted with blue.

"Wha..? What's happening?"

'_Rubedo…'_ Jr. looked around searching for the familiar voice. _'Rubedo…are you going to break the link again? Just like you did last time and let your comrades suffer?'_

"W-what are you talking about?" He demanded to know what this voice was thinking. This voice…it belonged to someone he knew…Jr. continued to slowly walk down the hall, still intimidated, frightened and confused. _'656…658…660…662…664…ah!'_ He stopped suddenly as he saw himself in one of the mirrors…except his eyes were closed and he was just lying there. It almost looked like…he had been broken. Not only that, but that was where the link was in completed. He turned around to see Albedo awake and helping the link…but Gaignun…he wasn't there. He turned to Citrine and she was the same as Albedo…cooperating like she was supposed to. He then decided to look for Nigredo and turned around to see Nigredo with his back to him. He found him quite easily…then it hit him. That was who was talking to him…asking him if he was going to break the link and let him comrades suffer again.

"Rubedo…are you going to answer me?" Nigredo turned to him, his emerald eyes colliding with sea blue eyes. Jr.'s world stayed still…why was Gaignun doing this? _'No…it can't be Gaignun…he's at the Durandal, right? And I'm sure that there aren't two of me…It's got to be another one of Albedo's illusions! Now, I have to get past this and find that mirror that'll lead me to him!'_ Jr. regained control of his feelings and turned back to the end of the hall. He looked at all of the mirrors trying to think of which one was the portal. _'Maybe it's the one Gaignun should've been in…'_ He thought. He went up to the empty mirror and put his hand on it…nothing happened. _'All right then…it's not that one. Maybe…it's Albedo's.'_ He walked over to Albedo and put his hand on that mirror…once again no response. He scowled and then went over to his mirror and put his hand on that one, again not getting a response.

"Dammit! Which one is it!" Jr. ran over to Citrine's and tried hers…to no avail. He continued down the line before Nigredo spoke up again.

"Rubedo…you had the right mirror. First you have to answer my question. Are you going to break the link and let us suffer again?" Jr. turned and looked at him with a determined expression. Even though he had the looks to make one think he had an answer, he didn't have one. He gulped and then thought it all through.

'_Okay…if I say no…then does that mean that it might open the portal? Maybe it'll kill me…those are the same reasons if I say yes…but…I…damn…this is really hard to choose.'_ Jr. scratched his head as he kept debating his answers and they're consequences. _'Screw it! I'm going to say…umm…umm…'_

"I can't change the past…so my answer is…" Nigredo stared at him, expecting him to answer at any moment. "My answer is…No. This time I'm going to complete the link…" Jr. put his hands up to the line and connected the link. Suddenly a bright flash blinded him and he let everything go, trying to save his sight. Suddenly, he came to a path of stone that was lined with Kirschwassers. _'I get it! The Kirschwassers were the ones behind the mirrors…so it really was all an illusion…'_ Jr. thought as he looked at everyone of them. He then looked ahead and saw Albedo sitting in a chair positioned as a throne.

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**Okay, well, I hope you guess review. If I don't get some new reviews from different reviewers then I'm going to die. EuphoriaA6, G-Anakin 13, and DivineDisaster have been good reviewers. So you should all follow thier example cause then you'll get a chapter dedicated to you like these guys! Yes, this chapter is dedicated to my three newest reviewers. I also wouldn't mind some more reviews from reviewers I've all ready had. Anyway, I am officially keeping my name the same. I'm too lazy to change it... XD**


	7. Jr's Battle

**Wow...it's been a while huh? Okay, well here's the scoop. I've been having techinical problems as well as grounding problems. I'm not even supposed to be on the computer right now but I'm breaking the rules. I'm only allowed to get on the net on the weekends...and I'm doing my updates on wendsday... Eh heh... Let's hope I don't get caught.**

**I must say though, I have found an editor. She would be Rachel Hunter. So thank I PRAISE YOU RACHEL!!!! (bows) Ahem...anyway, here's the chapter of a lifetime! Please do comment because...I'll be looking forward to review emails.

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**Ch. 7: Jr.'s Battle**

The room was filled with tension as the two URTV variants exchanged heated glares to each other from across the large hall. Jr., who was still emotionally drained and the newly awakened Albedo, who was now part of the entity known as U-DO.

"Well Rubedo? Can you feel it rising? You are made to destroy me, you are gifted with the power of the Red Dragon, the true you. So hurry and show me who you really are!" Albedo taunted, hoping to make the red-head undergo his anti-U-DO shift.

Jr. did not reply. His mind was still churning in turmoil to process what Albedo had said. So the moment he had been fearing most was already here. Facing his other half. Facing his younger twin. Facing Albedo. Alone. He feared what would happen next, and though he desperately wished the moment would not come, it still did, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

When Albedo saw that his tactics weren't going to get him anywhere, he continued with something a little more sophisticated. "Don't forget the fact that we were born as weapons. We were created mainly to capture U-DO and destroy it. But, now it has come to me, this power that I so desired! I am now the _true_ eternal chain and I am now more powerful than what I ever had been before! I am a universal threat, a threat so great that only one person can destroy it, and that is you, Rubedo! _If_ you think you can really defeat me like you are now."

Albedo smirked when he saw that Rubedo raised his head, sapphire eyes flashing. The need to defend himself, and to counter what Albedo had said was sharp enough to cut through the haze of his tangled emotions. And the anger he had long hidden inside his heart, that he didn't know existed, started to claw its way upwards, making its way towards the sleeping Red Dragon residing deep within his being.

"Damn you Albedo!" Jr. roared, his entire body engulfed in a fiery crimson aura as he struggled to keep his rage under control. _Dammit, not right now!_ "I've been tormented by the past long enough! Now, it's time to settle things with you!"

As he uttered the last word, both hands reached in to pull out his silver weapons out from their holsters. He took a direct, unwavering aim at his smug younger brother, glowing blue eyes narrowing dangerously.

Albedo gave a hysterical crackle as he deliberately called forth the sinister purplish aura of U-DO to counter Jr.'s Red Dragon Mode. "Finally, you've decided to show me what you have! Come on, now, don't hold back! Let your rage smite me. Let it wipe me off the face of the universe!"

In response to the ever growing presence of U-DO, the Red Dragon reasserted itself, forcing its way through Jr.'s desperate but weakening control and filling the not-child's mind with unnatural anger. Combined with the trauma and despair of Jr.'s soul, the Dragon emerged stronger, fiercer, angrier.

Jr. could feel the Red Dragon overwhelming him, taking over, but he almost didn't care. He was already resolved to settle the scores with his brother, to end the threat he posed, even it if meant that he had to destroy Albedo in the process. He didn't care about the remorse or guilt he would feel after the final battle, right now, it was very important to concentrate the task at hand - to get rid of the U-DO infected brother once and for all. He would return alive, to fulfill his promise to MOMO, to Sakura, to everyone else. Albedo wasn't the same little brother he had known before. He was different, he was insane, he was a danger! After all that he did to MOMO, to his friends, to the universe, Albedo needed to be punished accordingly.

_Maybe this is what he really wants… maybe he will be happier if I… _His thoughts trailed off, not wanting to say _that_ word, _he can't really die… maybe if he really did… maybe he would be happier… it is what he always had wanted. Maybe that's why he linked with U-DO… so that he can… and he wants me to do it… And if he can't die… he would just regenerate, and that would be okay, right?_

Jr. shook the thoughts away, and the grips on his faithful guns tightened so hard his fingers went white. It was now or never. Pushing all protesting thoughts, he fired rapidly, eyes watching as the bullets sank into Albedo, their impact from mere yards away causing Albedo to collapse on the throne, but when he rose again, unharmed, Jr. let out a quiet sigh of exasperation.

_Damn… I knew that is going to happen! Now what?_

Albedo laughed mockingly, brushing off at the surface of his skin where Jr.'s bullets had hit him. Really, that was disappointing. Rubedo ought to know that mere physical attacks would not harm him "What was that Rubedo? An attack? I don't think so! It is more like insect bites, really! Come on, I know you're stronger than that! Bring it on!" He sneered down at his seething older brother, relishing the rage pouring off him like waves. "I can't believe Sakura or MOMO fell for a weak, hopeless coward like you!

That was it. The final straw. This was their fight, why bring MOMO or Sakura in? "Shut up, you bastard! I am not weak or hopeless! I am a lot stronger than you will ever be and you know it!" The severity of his tone took Albedo aback, and Jr. watched smugly as that damned grin faltered just a little bit. "You are the one who's weak and hopeless! So weak and hopeless that in an effort of becoming strong or stronger than me you gave in to its power, instead of fighting it! I don't believe you are such an idiot!"

A shock ran through his spine cut off his rant as a bolt of almost uncontrollable power stuck him hard. The red aura of his Anti-UDO shift grew brighter, hotter and stronger than before, intimidating even Albedo and himself. It was as if the Dragon resonated with his own anger and helplessness. Still, Jr. struggled to keep it under his control. No, he wasn't finished yet. "You are weak, you never believe in yourself or others. You kept clinging to me like a leech and cry at the slightest of things! That is what we call weak! Don't you understand? You are weak right from the start! And it is the weak who always manage to survive, be an immortal at that!"

As the final word left his mouth, all of his emotions spiraled out of control. The straining Red Dragon had been unleashed, and with it Jr. shrieked in pain as all of his feelings -loneliness, grief, despair, anger - were released in the Dragon too, turning his eyes the color of deep crimson. The limit on the Dragon shattered, and it roared as it evolved into a terrifying new kind of power, the Divine Red Dragon.

Albedo's eyes widened as he watched the Red Dragon rush towards him. Thinking quickly, he released his own powerful counter-attack--The Eternal Chain. Everything was engulfed in a bright flash of blinding white light. The cylinder vessel containing the Kirschwassers shattered, and as the light enveloped them, they sprouted large, feathered wings that glowed a bright yellow aura. Every one of the white-winged girls turned to the huge ball of white light, waiting to unravel themselves. Only a selected four ran forward in concern for their master. The rest had lost all memories of Albedo and their pasts, turning them into man-made angels. Then, the entire room was illuminated with a blinding light.

* * *

Chaos was waiting restlessly in the E.S. Asher. Not long after he felt an odd amount of aura coming from the core of the tangled web of U-DO. He leaned back in the cockpit, wondering what had happened and couldn't help but feel a sense of unease and worry. Something made him raise his emerald eyes, and he saw a small orange light that soon revealed a small, orange haired girl clothed in a white gown. Nephilim had returned. Chaos decided it was probably time for him to make his way to Jr.'s current imprisonment.

"Nephilim, something doesn't feel right. You feel it too, don't you?" Chaos asked the girl before he began his trek. Nephilim looked at him and then looked down.

"I'm not sure of that myself, chaos," she responded, her voice echoing. Chaos also looked down and to the right. It might have been best to stay where he was stationed, but he had to save Jr. no matter what. Many of his friends would be saddened if something were to happen to the popular redhead.

Sighing, Chaos looked up and towards the road to the core. "I'm sorry, Nephilim, but I am going to investigate."

He moved the E.S. craft towards his destination. Nephilim only sighed before disappearing. He was just getting up to max speed when the craft was thrown back by a shocking force field. Chaos let out a startled yell as the sparks flew out of the controls in the cockpit. Shocked and paralyzed, he felt his body was jerked around as the E.S. crashed onto the U-DO pathway. Nephilim had long disappeared before the incident. Chaos tried to stay awake, but the numbing pain had taken a toll on his body and he soon drifted into unconsciousness.

* * *

The situation between the rivaling sisters had finally calmed down. Shion and the rest of the gang decided that it would be best not to play charades again and decided to just wait it out. But Shion was starting to feel unnerved.

"Gaignun, do you think we could try to contact chaos?" she asked, turning to the dark-haired man. He turned to her and shook his head.

"The signal wouldn't reach from here. As long as he's near the center of that space-time anomaly, we won't be able to contact him at all. On top of that, the Asher's communication system was disabled a while ago." He replied, his voice flat and sounding almost indifferent. Shion sighed and then turned to the stars, silently hoping for the best.

"Master Gaignun, something's wrong." Shelley remarked suddenly, turning to the group wearing a worried expression. Usually she never allowed her expression to her betray her, but if the news were bad enough to rattle her, then… Shion gulped as she put her hands together, willing her anxiety to stay deep down.

"What is it Shelley?" Gaignun queried. This time, Shion heard a strain in the U.R.T.V's voice.

Shelley didn't respond; instead she pointed to the space-time anomaly in front of them. A thin, column of bright, white light had shot into an eternal line crossing the universe. It had come from the center of the anomaly, where they knew Jr. and Albedo were.

* * *

MOMO was making her way back to the Durandal's bridge, hoping to have an update on Jr. She was still slightly hurt from his decision to leave her after he confessed his love for her, but she wouldn't let that get in the way of her concerns. Something… an uneasy feeling of sorts stabbed through her heart with such precision she stopped in mid-step to clench at her chest. Golden eyes, knowing what the feeling was. _Something's wrong! Something must've happened! I have to hurry!_

Her walk eventually turned into a light sprint as she strove to make it to the Durandal bridge with all possible speed.

* * *

**Okay, please please PLEASE review. It'll lighten my mood from my grounding. X.x **

**And once again I thank you Rachel Hunter!! You have taught me something...MORE VOCABULARY WORDS!!! O.O**


	8. Light Pillar of Phenomena

**Well...guess what? I have updated finally! Horah! I'm hoping to get some reviews, so...I'll be waiting like some of you people out there have been waiting. Just...hopefully not as long. Heh...

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**Ch.8: Light Pillar of Phenomena**

Everyone turned to see a breathless MOMO standing on the elevator to the bridge. Alarmed at the anxiety and worry marring over her childish features, Shion ran over to 100-Series.

"MOMO! Are you all right? You look pale!"

"What happened?!" MOMO demanded, ignoring Shion's concern .She was perfectly fine, can't they all see? Shion took a step back at her tone but she went on, "I need to know! Something's happened and I need to know! What happened?!"

"We're not sure ourselves," Shion responded softly, glancing at the anomaly.

MOMO followed her gaze and gasped as her eyes fell upon on the bright column of light that shot through the middle of the pink web. She shoved a fist up to her mouth in a valiant effort not to scream in distress. Horror and sorrow filled her heart at the knowledge that Jr. was still in there. This time, she couldn't keep her worry and fear from her expression. Her vision blurred, and it took her a moment to realize that her eyes were clouded with tears. Jr.'s smiling face and cheery laughter kept replaying in her mind's eye, and her heart ached even more. Her knees weakened and buckled under her without her consent. She felt Shion embrace her lightly and coaxing her, willing her to cry onto her but she didn't care. She wanted Jr. She wanted him to put his arms around her as she sobbed into his shoulder… but no, he wasn't there with her.

_Jr. …, please, come back,_ she pleaded, her heart and soul weeping incessantly, _please come back! I don't care how, just… come back to me… please…come back…_

* * *

Consciousness for chaos was a little further way but still, he swam doggedly towards the surface, feeling the soreness of his body as he did so. He shook his head weakly, lifting a limp hand to his sweaty forehead. _I guess, I'm going to have to walk. _Lowering the hand, he concentrated, then watched as his hand began to glow. He hovered his glowing hand to the damaged controls, initiating what little repair he could do to make it operational again. At least enough for the cockpit to open for him to tumble out. He managed to land on his feet, but almost kneeled over from the impact. He was still reeling from the shock, and his remaining strength was spent on repairing the E.S controls, and as a result he hadn't had enough strength nor ether to heal himself. 

Nephilim could help him, he knew, for her healing powers were far greater from his own but he doubted she was nearby to do so. For now, it looked like he had to manage on his own, which he realized, was quite easy afterall. Compared to his past agonies, this one was pretty mild. Mild enough for him to keep standing and observing his surroundings. His vivid emerald eyes widened at what he saw.

_A pillar of… light? It can't be the Song of Nephilim, can it?_ Chaos shook his head again, ignoring the accompanying dizziness. _It can't be. There isn't any song… then… what is it?_

Abruptly he cut himself off, annoyed that he could ponder of such things at times like this. _There is no time for this. If I plan on rescuing Jr. on time I better get going now. I can't run in this condition, so I will have to walk fast. _He looked at the origin of the light, his brows furrowing. _Hang on, Jr., I'm coming! Just hang on!_

* * *

Back at the Durandal, both the crew of the Durandal and Elsa watched in silent amazement and anxiety as the pillar began to expand. The silence in both ships was unbearable, almost deafening. Everyone had bustled to the windows to see what was going on. To them the sight was beautiful, albeit unusual. A pillar of light in the middle of the vast darkness… It was an unusual sight indeed, especially for those who knew their Little Master was involved in the phenomena. Time seemed to slow to a crawl until the column suddenly dissipated, dispersing into tiny stars that showered the entire universe with their brilliance. 

"The pillar of light! It vanished!" Shion gasped.

No one responded. No one bothered to. Each was too caught up in their own thoughts and ponderings to acknowledge anything else. But they all shared one same notion: to pray that Jr. would be safe, and would return to their arms once more.

* * *

The room that Jr. and Albedo had their final confrontation was now dark and cold. Albedo was gone, and Jr. was sitting slumped against the bottom part of a broken Kirschwassers's container. Most of the Kirschwassers were nowhere in sight except for the four which were hovering in the middle of the room. The roof of the hall had been destroyed entirely and the walls were crumbling along with the stone pillars, showering debris onto the cracking ground. 

Jr. barely registered his surroundings. His mind was roiling in turmoil at what had happened. He couldn't remember exactly, which was strange in and of itself but one thing was for certain; his brother was gone. No… killed. He had killed his younger brother, his twin with his own hands, and now to his horror and grief he realized that the right side of his chest was eerily silent and hollow; the echo of Albedo's heart beating was just a ghost whispering in his chest, mocking and sneering at his despair.

His eyes slid close once again, horrified at his doings. He had betrayed his comrades, and now he had just destroyed his own flesh and blood. Tears of grief cascaded down his cheeks like two rivers. What kind of a leader was he? What kind of an elder brother was he?

_You are right, Albedo,_ he thought, managing a pained smirk through his tears, _You are I are both monsters… in our own way… no matter what we do and how much we try to deny, we are still monsters._

At the sound of light fluttering he finally, slowly opened his eyes, Impassively he saw a Kirschwasser gliding towards him, holding her hand out to him as if to beckon him to join his brother, but he only stared. He didn't want any help right now… he just wanted to be left alone… couldn't they even grant him his simple wish? He closed his eyes and sighed. He was tired… so tired he wanted to crawl into a corner and sleep for weeks. He felt as if his strength was dissipating through his fingertips with every passing second…

Upon seeing Jr.'s lack of response, the Kirschwassers turned to rejoin her waiting sisters. She paused to look over her shoulder and said, "You brother… you will see him again one day… when that time has come…"

They had materialized out of sight –probably to meet up with Albedo – when Jr. opened his eyes. Confused and still dazed with turmoil, her final words only seemed to have tangle the already tangled thoughts in his mind. Yet he still had the presence of mind to be aware of his rapidly disintegrating surroundings.

Everything was crumbling down, raining debris of various sizes. The column Jr. was leaning on trembled, and a few of smaller debris bore down on Jr., snapping him into attention and action. His instincts were screaming at him to move away from the danger, and with immense difficulty he hauled himself to his feet and ran drunkenly to safety, but unfortunately he tripped on a broken piece of pillar and came crashing down. Upon hitting the ground, he instinctively rolled to his right, just in time to avoid a falling piece of column that missed his head by mere inches. Forcing himself to his feet again, he used what left of his strength to evade the showering wreckage. When he finally tripped and collapsed on the ground, dazed and winded, he didn't try to get up. He simply didn't have the strength.

"Great…" He managed to curse under his breath. There was no way he could avoid a falling pillar because he couldn't find the strength in him to move any more. He felt strangely calm as he watched the pillar slowly collapsing on him. _Wait for me Albedo.. I'm coming…_ but it wasn't to be, for suddenly someone scooped him to his arms and then the sensation of being carried around. Jr. wearily glanced at his savior, who was looking back over a shoulder at the now crumbled rock pile in a shape of a line that was once a pillar, lying exactly in the place where Jr. had been moments ago.

"chaos!" Jr. rasped, surprised yet incredibly relieved to see his friend again. He hadn't plan to die anyway. Not without fulfilling his promises. "What are you doing here?"

"I wouldn't let you die, Jr." chaos replied with a soft smile, looking at the fatigued not-child with warm affection. The relied and joy in Jr.'s sapphire eyes had not gone unnoticed. A loud crashing sound echoed, signifying that a standing wall had fallen, forcing his attention back to their collapsing surroundings. He hastened his run. Thank goodness he had healed a little on his way here. "Right now, we have to get out of here."

When the red-haired U.R.T.V variant did not reply, he added, "Rest now… you deserved it for all what you have went through."

"Yeah, thanks," Jr. said softly. Before he closed his eyes, however, Jr. managed to mumble, "Don't forget you are not supposed to even lift me up in other circumstances, or without my permission. I let you go now as I am really, really tired…". As soon as his eyes fluttered close, oblivion had snatched him away. His head fell into the crook of chaos's arm, its neck support totally gone. Chaos only smiled at the sleeping redhead as he continued his hasty progress towards the E.S Asher.

_Yes, of course, Jr._, chaos mused, _of course_.

* * *

**The End...such a classic line, but it isn't really the end. Just the end of the chapter. The story will continue...just gotta give it to my editor. So yes, until next time my fellow Xenosagians! (I just made that word up...)**


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